How to Prepare Your House for Sale Properly

March 11th, 2016

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If you’re preparing to sell your house, you would want to get the best price possible. For that, you have to make it look presentable and inviting. The first impression is very important for potential buyers. Here is how to prepare your house for sale.

How to Prepare Your House for Sale

Answering this question will also answer how to put your house on the market. The most important thing you have to pay attention to is your product for sale. So, make sure it’s in good condition.

Guarantee for the stability of the structure. This is a very broad term, as stability can mean a lot of things. All in all, buyers would want to know how old is the building, what it’s made of, and how durable it is. You can answer all their questions by presenting them with the property deed.

Make sure the water supply is in working order. Water from the sink should be clear. Not brown, not cloudy, but crystal clear. No fixture should be leaking and warm water should be available. You might need to do a thorough inspection of your pipe system, especially if you haven’t done that in the last 10 years.

Make sure the power supply works and is safe. Single free wires that go nowhere shouldn’t be hanging around. Everything that needs electricity should be working when switched on, especially lighting. If you want to make a really good impression, use safe sockets only. New parents and couples who intend to buy a house to start a family will definitely remember you.

Check the heating system and other fixtures. It’s not a good idea to present a house where electronics and other devices are broken or damaged. While it’s not the deciding point for buyers, it can leave a bad impression.

Do a pest inspection. It goes without saying that no one wants to buy a property infested with bugs, or small wild animals. You can inspect the house yourself, or call a professional. If you decide to go with a pro, you can even present your buyers with written proof that there are no pests. It can only be a plus for you.

Clean up thoroughly. It’s true potential buyers don’t pay too much attention to the cleanliness of the property, as they usually buy with the intention of decorating it themselves. But, cleanliness can always sway those with good taste towards your goal. Here’s a detailed checklist to help you with this.

Take care of the yard. Trim the bushes, organise the flowerbeds, weed, clean the patio. Do a quick renovating if you have to. The exterior is what makes people enter to see what’s inside. Make it as presentable as it can get. Curious note, artificial grass attracts a lot of potential buyers.

The neighbourhood is another very important point buyers take into account. Sadly, you cannot do anything about it.

How to Clean Your House Fast

When asking someone, how to prepare your house for sale, despite being one of the last thing you have to do, people will usually tell you to just clean it up.

De-clutter. Count on minimalism. The less items you have in each room, the tidier it looks. Throw out the garbage and anything you don’t need. Anything that has no place in your home, but might help someone else, you can give to friends, family, or charities, or even sell if it’s in a good condition.

Remove the wallpapers. Even if they are in fine shape, people do not want wallpapers. Well, maybe they do, but how do you know you will get those people as potential buyers? Walls should be immaculate. Pure white is best, so the next house owners will have a clear canvas on what to do with the wall.

Follow the top to bottom rule. Start with dusting and washing from the ceiling, walls and drapes, doors and windows, furniture and flooring. Gravity told us this is the best way.

Clean the carpets. For hard flooring, you’ll just need a broom and a mop, but carpets need special attention. Depending on their type, you might need to wash them in a different way. Some need specific care, others don’t. Make sure you do this a few days priorly, as in some cases they might need hours to dry completely.

Eliminate odours. The best way to do this is by opening all windows and letting the air current through your house do the trick. If your carpets, drapes and upholstery have not absorbed any cigarette smoke, or food odours from before, this will be quite enough. But of course, you can always invest in an air freshener.

How to Inspect for Pests

Pests aren’t something you just don’t notice if you come back from work every day. If there are any, you should know. But, just in case, here is how you can do a fast pest inspection.

Inspect walls and floors for cracks and damage. Pests can find a lot of places to hide in your house and they’ll mostly love to make cosy between your walls or under your floor. Even the smallest cracks can serve for their doorway into your house, so be on the look out for that.

Check for plumbing leaks. Critters go where there is water and humidity, so make sure to check the bathroom. And, if there’s food on the floor, they will be in their own oasis – so do a really thorough inspection of the kitchen. Under the sink, behind the cupboard, in the cupboards and anywhere that’s dark, humid and possibly wet due to a leakage.

Make sure your windows don’t have broken seals. Another evidence for nasty critters getting into your home. Or if they haven’t yet, soon they might. So fix it quickly.

Check the garbage. Insects and rodents will first go for your garbage can, whether it is in your house or outside. It’s a good idea to put the one outside as far away from your house as possible. And the one inside can deter unwanted pests if you put lemon or onion peels in it.

See the pest. In the end, if you see one of them, you can be sure there’s more. So, it’s a good idea to call an exterminator.

Showing People Round Your House

Once you get potential buyers, you will have to show them around your house. You prepared it well, worked really hard to bring it to its glamour, but of course, you know it’s not the only house on the market. You have to shine even more.

Here is how to show your house for sale.

Be friendly. People want to talk to friendly people, regardless the situation, so flash a smile and focus your buyers on the most positive aspects. If the buyers aren’t local, tell them what amenities are nearby. Tell them about your life in here and be personal. People look for quality in a property, but the final decision is usually made by what they feel.

Remove personal belongings. There is nothing more distracting for a potential buyer than to see someone else’s family pictures in a property. This way they will have a harder time seeing themselves in it. So, make sure those are away.

Remove the pets. If you have any, they better be somewhere else at the time of the viewing. Not only would they distract, but they would bring some unwanted odours in there. The only exception is fish – fish are very soothing and create a pleasant atmosphere.

Knowing how to prepare your house for sale will help you a great deal with organising your time properly. Another time saving option, is to rely on professionals at least once in a while. You can hire professional movers, professional end of tenancy cleaners, professional inventory specialists, or any other that can make your day easier.